Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels
Molten LiCl-KCl salt and liquid cadmium are proposed as the electrolyte and the reactive cathode for the electrorefining of spent nuclear fuels, but they can be corrosive to the structural alloys. The down-selection of existing materials through corrosion testing is necessary to ensure the longevity...
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/13/5/817 |
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| author | Yanhong Jia Shuangshuang Chang Xin Du Shaoqiang Guo |
| author_facet | Yanhong Jia Shuangshuang Chang Xin Du Shaoqiang Guo |
| author_sort | Yanhong Jia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Molten LiCl-KCl salt and liquid cadmium are proposed as the electrolyte and the reactive cathode for the electrorefining of spent nuclear fuels, but they can be corrosive to the structural alloys. The down-selection of existing materials through corrosion testing is necessary to ensure the longevity of the electrorefiner vessel and electrode assemblies. Haynes C276, Inconel 600, AISI 316L stainless steel, and 42CrMo low-alloy steel were exposed to a LiCl-KCl melt at 500 °C for 500 h in an argon atmosphere. All alloys suffered from dissolution attacks with the presence of oxide islands or a porous oxide layer on the surface. AISI 316L, T91 steel, and tungsten specimens were submitted to corrosion tests in liquid cadmium at 500 °C for 120 h. The corrosion of AISI 316L and T91 stainless steel was predominated by chemical oxidation, with the additional occurrence of severe Ni dealloying and Cd penetration on AISI 316L. Destabilization of the Cr oxide layer by cadmium was discovered, resulting in the formation of CdCrO<sub>4</sub>. Tungsten only suffered from a dissolution attack at a rate of 0.50 mm/a. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:49:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-870dde9b991945e98003c0831def6e53 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:49:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-870dde9b991945e98003c0831def6e532023-11-18T01:00:26ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522023-05-0113581710.3390/cryst13050817Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear FuelsYanhong Jia0Shuangshuang Chang1Xin Du2Shaoqiang Guo3China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing 102413, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy, School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy, School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy, School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaMolten LiCl-KCl salt and liquid cadmium are proposed as the electrolyte and the reactive cathode for the electrorefining of spent nuclear fuels, but they can be corrosive to the structural alloys. The down-selection of existing materials through corrosion testing is necessary to ensure the longevity of the electrorefiner vessel and electrode assemblies. Haynes C276, Inconel 600, AISI 316L stainless steel, and 42CrMo low-alloy steel were exposed to a LiCl-KCl melt at 500 °C for 500 h in an argon atmosphere. All alloys suffered from dissolution attacks with the presence of oxide islands or a porous oxide layer on the surface. AISI 316L, T91 steel, and tungsten specimens were submitted to corrosion tests in liquid cadmium at 500 °C for 120 h. The corrosion of AISI 316L and T91 stainless steel was predominated by chemical oxidation, with the additional occurrence of severe Ni dealloying and Cd penetration on AISI 316L. Destabilization of the Cr oxide layer by cadmium was discovered, resulting in the formation of CdCrO<sub>4</sub>. Tungsten only suffered from a dissolution attack at a rate of 0.50 mm/a.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/13/5/817corrosionmolten saltsliquid cadmiumSEM |
| spellingShingle | Yanhong Jia Shuangshuang Chang Xin Du Shaoqiang Guo Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels Crystals corrosion molten salts liquid cadmium SEM |
| title | Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels |
| title_full | Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels |
| title_fullStr | Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels |
| title_short | Corrosion Performance of Commercial Alloys and Refractory Metals in Conditions for Electrorefining of Spent Nuclear Fuels |
| title_sort | corrosion performance of commercial alloys and refractory metals in conditions for electrorefining of spent nuclear fuels |
| topic | corrosion molten salts liquid cadmium SEM |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/13/5/817 |
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